PLENARY SESSION: Cong guns for RSS terror link probe

The BJP's offensive against Rahul Gandhi galvanises the Congress to close ranks behind the AICC gen secy and take a hard stand against terror spread by right-wing radicals. BLOG: Terror knows no religion | WATCH VIDEO

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Kay Benedict

New Delhi

December 19, 2010

UPDATED: December 19, 2010 09:23 IST

Congress President Sonia Gandhi (R) with PM Manmohan Singh at the Subjects Committee Meeting of the 83rd Plenary Session of the Indian National Congress at Parliament Annexe in New Delhi on Saturday. PTI

The BJP's offensive against Rahul Gandhi has galvanised the Congress to close ranks behind the AICC general secretary and take a hard stand against terror spread by right-wing radicals, at the party's plenary session starting on Sunday.

According to WikiLeaks, Rahul had said "radicalised Hindu groups" could pose a bigger threat than outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba.

Party sources said while a section of leaders were pushing for adopting a resolution condemning terror associated with "right wing" organisations, others have advised a more nuanced formulation and felt the party should strike the middle path on the issue of terror at its plenary. The party in its political resolution will emphasise that terror has no colour or religion, a source said.

The draft political resolution may ask the government to probe right-wing groups' links with terror, a source said. Party chief Sonia Gandhi chaired a meeting to finalise the political, economic, organisational and foreign affairs resolutions. Rahul was also present.

Rahul is expected to respond to the attack on Sunday. " I will speak tomorrow," he said in response to whether he will speak at the plenary.

But he declined to speak on the WikiLeaks controversy on the sidelines of the subject committee meeting to finalise all the four resolutions of the party for the two- day open session.

Rahul has told the subject committee that the party should keep the interests of the tribals in mind while calibrating its land acquisition policy. Sources said he did not speak on communalism. However, the Amethi MP suggested that the wording "an act of vandalism" be changed to a "criminal act" in the political resolution on Ayodhya.

Asked if right-wing terror would be discussed at the plenary, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said " wait and watch". Party spokesperson Manish Tewari slammed Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi for insinuating that Rahul was responsible for the US taking a pro- Pakistan stand. " He ( Modi) is famous for fake encounters? I feel like laughing ( at Modi's comment)," Tewari said.

Reports that the Rajasthan Police are probing the Ajmer blast have confirmed that RSS activist Sunil Joshi - linked to several bomb blasts - was murdered by his associates in the saffron outfit.

This has given the Congress a handle to put its detractors in the Parivar on the mat.

Joshi was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, in 2007.

Digvijay on Friday had sought a CBI probe into Joshi's murder.

He claimed that Joshi was murdered to suppress evidence and the Madhya Pradesh police had closed its probe into the murder at the instance of some BJP leaders.

The case was later investigated by the National Investigation Agency and the Rajasthan ATS. " On whose instructions was the final report (of the probe into Joshi's murder) filed?" Digvijay asked. He also took a jibe at Uma Bharati for her comment that Rahul was being tutored by Digvijay and that he should accept her as his mentor.

"First Uma should make it clear who others have been her disciples in politics so far," Digvijay said.

5-YR TERM FOR SONIA?

THE AICC plenary is likely to adopt a resolution to amend the party constitution to extend the term of the Congress president to five years from three years.

The last plenary was held in 2006 and the next one should have been in 2009, when Sonia's term should have ended.

Because of a variety of reasons, the organisational polls could not be conducted last year. The polls were completed this November with permission from the Election Commission.

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